NRL Grand Final - Storm v Cowboys

[vertigo]

And where are these average players that the big 3 make look better? The team is filled with rep players and future rep players..

Key word being future rep players, once they figure out which ones to keep the rest will be moved on.

You don't really have much leverage at the Storm, if you get a big head they'll move you on and find some other gun kid that Bellamy will squeeze all he can out of.

 

[BroncsFan]

No, a loss is easier to take when you get flogged.

But when you're literally seconds away from victory and it's taken away from you.. That hurts A LOT.

Cowboys need to know this suffering.

But in saying that, I hope Cowboys win. **** Cronk.

You're right that would hurt longer.

I'm torn as to who I want to lose more... can they both lose??

Maybe storm win in the last second only to have their premiership stripped away for salary cap cheating again. Aaaaand then surgically removed from NRL like the cancerous tumour they are.....

 

[Socnorb]

Going on my who has the most Queenslanders. These are my two second favourite teams. I find it hard to dislike either.

 

[Cult]

I'm going to choose who to cheer for by attempting to work out which fanbase would cheer for us if we made it.









Looks like I'm not cheering for anyone then.

 

[Morkel]

I'm going to choose who to cheer for by attempting to work out which fanbase would cheer for us if we made it.









Looks like I'm not cheering for anyone then.

PNG Hunters it is.

 

[Big Pete]

2009 Cap Cheating Storm
1 Billy Slater
2 Steve Turner
3 Will Chambers
4 Greg Inglis
5 Justin O'neill
6 Brett Finch
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Aidan Tolman
9 Cameron Smith
10 Brett White
11 Adam Blair
12 Ryan Hoffman
13 Dallas Johnson

14 Ryan Hinchcliffe
15 Jeff Lima
16 Ryan Tandy
17 Scott Anderson

Not only did the Storm win the NRL premiership that season, they also won the NYC side. That's an impressive memory you've got Cult, you clearly recited that team-list but it was Dane Nielsen on the wing. I forgot he was a Storm player at the time, I do remember thinking the Storm were incredible for taking players like him, Finchy, Tandy and Sanderson to a premiership.

That NYC side was nothing to sneeze at. Widdop, Duffie, O'Neil, Bromwich, McLean, Proctor and Rochow were an exciting young crop of talent with bright futures ahead of them. The Storm were looking lethargic part-way through 2009 and it appeared we were going to see sides like St George Illawarra, Canterbury and Brisbane take over. Had the whistle not been blown it would have been scary what sort of success they would have achieved.

Digging through both teams in the build-up to the game and thought it would be interesting to rewind the clock to Round 22. Melbourne triumphed over North Queensland, but the scoreboard wasn't a true reflection of the contest. The Storm ran out 26-8 winners, but it was 16-8 with 15 to go before Vunivalu swooped on a Slater grubber to extend the lead. Then with no time left on the clock, Addo-Carr raced away to put the icing on the cake.

The Cowboys were resilient for the bulk of the contest considering they lost Gavin Cooper and Antonio Winterstein inside the opening 10 minutes of the contest. Their absence caused Taumalolo and Hess to play more minutes reducing their effectiveness through the middle of the ruck. Furthermore, Green resisted the temptation to play a relief hooker and Granville had to play the entire 80, a role that he struggled with and he came up with two critical errors inside the opposition's zone.

The experience bodes well for North Queensland and if they can replicate their effort against Parramatta & the Roosters then they will trouble the Storm. The only concern for the Cowboys is that they didn't get the opportunity to take on a Storm fringe with Cameron Munster & Tohu Harris. With both players on board, the Storm's left hand fringe is stronger and will make Morgan's job difficult.

 

[Super Freak]

The Cowboys were resilient for the bulk of the contest considering they lost Gavin Cooper and Antonio Winterstein inside the opening 10 minutes of the contest. Their absence caused Taumalolo and Hess to play more minutes reducing their effectiveness through the middle of the ruck. Furthermore, Green resisted the temptation to play a relief hooker and Granville had to play the entire 80, a role that he struggled with and he came up with two critical errors inside the opposition's zone.

Not to mention, Hess was forced to play in the centres while Bowen shifted to the wing and Storm just kept targeting that side and were successful.

I feel if the Cowboys execution was spot on, they would have won that game. They rattled the Storm, they were making a lot of uncharacteristic errors but the execution and handling from NQ was well off and they just kept letting them off the hook.

This is why I think Storm won't win easily. They have been below their best in the finals, Eels and Broncos being the better sides for the large chunk of the contests but they weren't able to take advantage of it.

Cowboys have been playing quite well and taking their chances when they are presented. If the Storm repeat the same, it's going to be close.

 

[tommy]

Not to mention, Hess was forced to play in the centres while Bowen shifted to the wing and Storm just kept targeting that side and were successful.

I feel if the Cowboys execution was spot on, they would have won that game. They rattled the Storm, they were making a lot of uncharacteristic errors but the execution and handling from NQ was well off and they just kept letting them off the hook.

This is why I think Storm won't win easily. They have been below their best in the finals, Eels and Broncos being the better sides for the large chunk of the contests but they weren't able to take advantage of it.

Cowboys have been playing quite well and taking their chances when they are presented. If the Storm repeat the same, it's going to be close.

Pretty much my thoughts. We had the Storm genuinely rattled in the first half. They aren't infallible. If they give the same opportunities to Cowboys then they may suffer. I can see the Cows winning this if they are just as clinical as the Storm.

 

[Big Pete]

See I thought Melbourne were easily the better side against Parramatta. They broke through the Eels line on nine separate occasions and through the Eels determination and some sloppy execution weren't able to extend their lead. Still, the Storm were asking more questions of Parramatta and were the superior side all afternoon.

The same can be said of their performance against Brisbane.

The big concern for Melbourne is their error rate. Despite their reputation, the Storm have been guilty of putting themselves under pressure with cheap turn-overs. If the Cowboys can remain patient, they will have plenty of opportunities to put points on the Storm.

 

[Dexter]

Pretty much my thoughts. We had the Storm genuinely rattled in the first half. They aren't infallible. If they give the same opportunities to Cowboys then they may suffer. I can see the Cows winning this if they are just as clinical as the Storm.

No No according to Kent Storm were just suffering a lag from the week off, nothing to do with anything we produced early in that game. In fact if you know football like Kent if the Storm were on their game they would have put 50 on us.
Also it was Bennett who instructed Blair to carry out dog shots late in the game.

 

[Rally Towel]

A tough ask. I am so incredibly salty right now on account of our exit so picking a side is no small task.

Loath to say it, but I will be backing the Storm. Grubby purple bastards that they are, I am used to their dominance over the years off the back of their big 3. Chalking up another premiership does little to the status quo.

I will applaud the Cowboys effort to make it this far from 8th. They've shown tremendous ticker to keep fighting and Morgan has truly gone from strength to strength. They've truly earnt a great deal of respect from me, despite my saltiness.

That said, when we put it to them in Rd 26, there was supposed to be a measure of satisfaction in ending their season for once. Instead the bastards just didn't die like the proverbial **** roaches.

I'm well aware that in recent years they have eclipsed us, but for them to win another would pain me greatly.

Hence, I will be death riding the Cowboys and willing on the Storm.

Cronk and Slater to retire and Melbourne to begin the decline (yes I expect they will still be competitive but not to the same degree).

 

[ivanhungryjak]

• BRENT READ
• The Australian
• 12:00AM September 26, 2017
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• 1 Comment

Melbourne chair Bart Campbell has called on fans to stop viewing the Storm through the prism of the 2010 salary cap scandal and start giving the club the credit they deserve for one of the greatest periods of sustained excellence in the game’s history.
Campbell, who was inspired to buy a stake in the Storm after watching the way they emerged from the devastation wreaked on the club seven years ago, believes the people within the organisation are slowly beginning to get the kudos they deserve for the work they have done since the cap scandal.
However, he insists the rapid-fire way people have embraced Parramatta after last year’s indiscretion highlights the way in which the Storm have been unfairly maligned since 2010.
“The reason I got involved with this club in 2013 was what this place did in 2010,” Campbell said.
“In 2010, for this club to lose players mid-season, to play without points, and to go through a season where they had enough pride in their work and profession to win the same number of games that they won in 2012 when they won the competition, I find staggering.
“It blew me away. Playing for no points is pretty demotivating — not when you’re doing it for six weeks at the back end of the season, it was largely for the whole season.
“It was huge turmoil. The press and the issues around it dragged on and on and on. I find it ironic that we talk about Parramatta today as this reborn club from a salary cap scandal and I mean that with no disrespect to Parramatta. The current administration have done a first-class job.
“Yet eight years on from when the Melbourne Storm were caught rorting the cap, we talk about the Melbourne Storm as salary cap cheaters.
“It is madness, so out of touch. The Melbourne Storm haven’t cheated the salary cap since 2009 and we still focus on it. It is deeply unfair to what the people who work at the club do.
“It is a lazy way of putting the Melbourne Storm success into a pocket that is out of date. The club has continued to be successful while being compliant with the cap.
“What happened in 2007 and 2009 were wrong. Let’s be clear about that. But it is ancient history. We’re talking about Parramatta as a reborn organisation eight months after their transgressions.
“We’re talking about eight years for the Melbourne Storm. I think we’re slowly coming out the other end of it but it is torturous. It is a convenient label that doesn’t match up to reality.”
Campbell was the face of the consortium that bought the Storm from News Limited five years ago and he was at the forefront of a push to have the clubs given greater financial resources as part of the new funding arrangement.
The Storm are expected to break even at worst under the new funding deal, a remarkable achievement in itself given the club has bled cash for most of its existence.
Asked whether he was in the club for the long haul, Campbell said: “There are no plans to change. I really enjoy it. I am passionate about it.
“Will my role change over time? It may do because it is incredibly time consuming.
“So it might be at some point in time for me to be a director and let someone else be chairman. But I love the club, I love the people in it.
“I love the culture of the organisation.”
He revealed the Storm have made significant strides off the field under a management team headed by chief executive Dave Donaghy and chief commercial officer Ben Dunn.
“We will be a break-even proposition (under the new funding arrangement),” Campbell said.
“It is certainly an improvement from when we took over.
“Going back to the people who work in this business, when we came in we knew we had a world-class football department and what we tried to do was mirror those capabilities in the non-football business.
“If you look at the business, we are performing really strongly in a whole raft of metrics. It is the No 1 game-day experience in the NRL. We have the biggest ticketed membership in the NRL.
“There are so many good things that are happening in the business. The question is what does this business want to be known for? I think at its very heart it is a high-performance business and a fan engagement business.
“The money is nice and if that was really important we would focus on building the other revenue streams we have away from the club. The board thinks the right thing to do is to invest in the core business, grow capabilities and provide a better service to our fans and members.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...t/news-story/13df238339cea0d2a4911d9c0610bb18

Cry me a river.

 

[Waynesaurus]

Loath to say it, but I will be backing the Storm. Grubby purple bastards that they are, I am used to their dominance over the years off the back of their big 3. Chalking up another premiership does little to the status quo.

I'm well aware that in recent years they have eclipsed us, but for them to win another would pain me greatly.

Hence, I will be death riding the Cowboys and willing on the Storm.

Amen brother! :devil:

 

[Broncs_Fan]

If Cowboys can somehow nick this one they'll be a huge chance of going back-to-back next year. Will be a lot stronger next season.

 

[Strop]

If Cowboys can somehow nick this one they'll be a huge chance of going back-to-back next year. Will be a lot stronger next season.

And that's the thing that has me painfully going for the Storm. Couldn't stand to see the Cows be the next team to go BTB.

 

[1910]

2009 Cap Cheating Storm
1 Billy Slater
2 Steve Turner
3 Will Chambers
4 Greg Inglis
5 Justin O'neill
6 Brett Finch
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Aidan Tolman
9 Cameron Smith
10 Brett White
11 Adam Blair
12 Ryan Hoffman
13 Dallas Johnson

14 Ryan Hinchcliffe
15 Jeff Lima
16 Ryan Tandy
17 Scott Anderson

2017 Storm
1 Billy Slater
2 Suliasi Vunivalu
3 Will Chambers
4 Curtis Scott
5 Josh Addo-Carr
6 Cameron Munster
7 Cooper Cronk
8 Jesse Bromwich
9 Cameron Smith
10 Jordan McLean
11 Felise Kaufusi
12 Tohu Harris
13 Dale Finucane

14 Kenny Bromwich
15 Tim Glasby
16 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
17 Slade Griffin

Other squad members- Robbie Rochow, Young Tonumaipea, Cheyse Blair, Brodie Croft, Nate Myles, Ryley Jacks, Brandon Smith

Can someone please tell me how the Broncos and Roosters are the only teams who have their cap questioned? And where are these average players that the big 3 make look better? The team is filled with rep players and future rep players..

Suliasi Vunivalu- Playing for Easts six times last year- 19 in total in 2015/2016.
Tim Glasby- Playing for Capras and Easts 98 times.
Felise Kaufusi- Playing for Pride and then Easts and Falcons 45 times now including three ISC games just last year.
Dale Finucane- Dogs released him two years early they didn't want him.
Josh Addo-Carr- six tries in nine games last year- Storm this year 20 in 25.
Kenny Bromwich- 42 ISC games from 2012-2015 trying to get a run for Storm.
Slade Griffin- 10 ISC games in 2016.
Jordan McLean- 11 ISC games in 2015.

Even Munster was still playing ISC in 2015- 46 games in total.

Bit of improvement there and you probably would have had change from 100k getting them all.

 

[Big Pete]

NRL Grand Final - Sunday, October 1st 2017
5:15pm Kick off (Queensland Time)

Melbourne Storm
1. Billy Slater 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Curtis Scott 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith (c) 10. Jordan McLean 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane
Interchange
14. Kenneath Bromwich 15. Tim Glasby 16. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 17. Slade Griffin
Reserves
18. Ryley Jacks 19. Robbie Rochow 20. Joe Stimson 21. Young Tonumaipea

North Queensland Cowboys
1. Lachlan Coote 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Justin O'Neil 4. Kane Linnett 5. Antonio Winterstein 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Michael Morgan 8. John Asiata 9. Jake Granville 10. Scott Bolton 11. Gavin Cooper (c) 12. Ethan Lowe 13. Jason Taumalolo
Interchange
14. Ben Hampton 15. Coen Hess 16. Corey Jensen 17. Shaun Fensom
Reserves
18. Ray Thompson 19. Javid Bowen 20. Braden Uele 21. Matthew Scott

 

[Big Pete]

The making of Michael Morgan
By Tony Webeck, NRL.com

Watch highlights of the Mackay Cutters' 27-20 Intrust Super Cup 2013 win over the Easts Tigers in the video above and the Michael Morgan that is currently using Telstra Premiership aspirants as his personal plaything comes into full view.

There's a draw and pass to put his winger away for the Cutters' first try of the grand final; a blink-and-you'll-miss-it tip-on for the try that gave Mackay the lead after 31 minutes and then a brilliant solo try in the second half to once again swing momentum his side's way.

After scoring in the corner in a manner in which current Cowboys teammate Kyle Feldt would give his seal of approval, Morgan pointed to the sky to acknowledge the reason he was playing at all.

In late April that year Morgan and the entire North Queensland organisation lost a young man in Alex Elisala who many held dear but whom Morgan had shared the type of brotherly bond that only comes from living a year in the same bedroom in the Morgan family home.

Morgan played halfback for the Cowboys the week after Elisala's passing but subsequently had three weeks off and contemplated wiping 2013 completely from his calendar and starting again the next year.

Former Cutters coach Kim Williams understood the delicateness of the situation and as Morgan spent most of the back-half of the season playing for Mackay he eased him back into the team.

Playing predominantly off the bench and used in stints at hooker, five-eighth and lock, Morgan's talent was always evident but in the grand final he had a purpose that proved to make all the difference.

"I think I just mentioned once in the shed before the grand final that we had something more to play for than they did. I didn't have to name Alex, we all knew what we were talking about," Williams told NRL.com.

"I've watched that game a few times since and you can just see the class of the man. He's got so much time with the ball.

"Everyone remembers that try he scored off the dropped ball but he set up a try for Bureta Faraimo before that in the first half that put us back in the game.

"If you go back and have a look at that try, that's 'Morgs' all up. Silky hands, catch and pass all in one action and put Bureta down the sideline.

"He's got the largest skill set of any player I've had the privilege to be involved with. That's why he's such an asset to any team.

"He's been used in that bench utility role at Origin level but the way he's played over the last month he's got to be the No.6 for Australia.

"I can't see any other player playing better than him at the moment."
Of course, the catalyst for Morgan's emergence as one of the premier playmakers in the competition has been the short and long-term absence of Cowboys superstar Johnathan Thurston in 2017.

When Thurston went down in Round 6 with a calf injury in the Cowboys' shock loss to the Wests Tigers in Townsville and with the team already reeling from the loss of Matt Scott a month earlier all eyes turned to Morgan for a way out.

For three weeks as North Queensland went down to the Dragons and Eels he appeared to be struggling with the enormity of the challenge handed him and had astute rugby league minds such as Ben Ikin questioning his ability to take ownership of a result.

"I remember when they played the Eels earlier in the year and I said that I didn't think Michael Morgan had a feel for the game like the great playmakers," Ikin told NRL.com of a game in which the Cowboys went down 26-6.

"He can do great things, do brilliant things occasionally but in terms of connecting it all up and controlling a game I didn't think he had it.

"He came out the next week and everything I said he wasn't, he played 80 minutes of football that showed me he was. And he hasn't taken a step backwards since then.

"It was almost like the void left by Thurston that it was Morgan's destiny to step into it and realise his full potential."

That game Ikin references was against the Bulldogs a week after Morgan's opposite this Sunday, Cooper Cronk, took him under his wing and delivered a crash course in Game Management 101.

He laid on four tries that night and scored another himself in North Queensland's 30-14 win and in the space of five wins in six games scored four tries and had 10 try assists, a tally that now stands at 21 to be top of the NRL.

Morgan's style is vastly different to the meticulous execution of Cronk but ever since Thurston was ruled out for the season in the wake of Origin II he has made it his sole mission to be Cowboys' go-to man.

Riding the wave of momentum generated by Jason Taumalolo he scored a try and had a hand in two others as the Cowboys finished over the top of the Tigers in Round 25, kicked the match-winning field goal in Week One of the finals and laid on the try that put his side in front in the Preliminary Final against the Roosters before icing it with another finals field goal – the second of his career – three minutes from full-time.

All in such a nonchalant fashion as to draw comparison with another Storm superstar.

"He's an intelligent guy and never appears flustered," says Ikin.

"Everything we're saying about Michael Morgan now – and I know it's much earlier in his career – are adjectives you usually use to describe Cam Smith."

http://www.qrl.com.au/news/2017/09/26/the_making_of_michae.html